The City’s Impact Reduction Program contracted crews  remove trash from campsites and surrounding areas during campsite assessments and removals, and through tent-side waste collection services provided by a nonprofit contractor.

Cleanup is important for keeping our streets, sidewalks, and parks safe and open for everyone to use. Removed garbage sometimes includes dangerous items like human waste and drug-related items, such as needles. Removing this trash also helps prevent it from ending up in rivers or the sewer system, where it could cause environmental damage and pose more health risks.

The City keeps track of how much trash is collected and delivered to the dump. This helps the City better understand and address the needs of homeless communities.

The data shows a general increase in the amount of trash cleaned up over the last several years. The City’s Impact Reduction Program has grown in size and efficiency, with more frequent assessments and cleanups leading to greater trash collection.

In FY23-24, there was a slight decrease in the tonnage of garbage collected. One reasons for this decrease was due to more frequent cleanups, which resulted in smaller camp sizes and less trash accumulation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, fewer camps were cleared due to concerns about virus transmission. As a result, campsites grew larger as more campers gathered in the same locations, causing an increase in the amount of trash at these sites once camp removals began again.

The tonnage data is gathered from invoices provided by city dumps, which record the weight of the garbage disposed of. This garbage comes from four main sources:
1.    Trash collected during assessment teams' evaluations of health and safety risks at campsites.
2.    Campsite removals identified as health and safety risks.
3.    Personal items stored after a campsite removal but never claimed.
4.    Trash collected by the City’s partner organization, G.L.I.T.T.E.R.

Here is a more comprehensive overview of the City’s Impact Reduction Program, which includes trash removal.

For more information about number of homeless campsites that are assessed by the City for potential removal: HOMELESS CAMPSITE ASSESSMENTS: Number of homeless campsites that are assessed by the City for potential removal

For more information about the number of campsites that are removed by the City:  CAMPSITE REMOVALS: Number of campsites removed by the Impact Reduction Program 

To report unsanctioned camping and or campsite-related trash here is more information from the City’s Impact Reduction Program.